Ford government says moving Ontario Science Centre would save some $250M

The provincial government is releasing a long-awaited business case for its decision to move the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place, saying moving the attraction to Toronto's western waterfront would save more than $250 million.

The move immediately sparked controversy when it was first announced in April, with many in the city voicing support for leaving the science centre in Thorncliffe Park, a community with few other major public services compared to Toronto's downtown core.

However, the province has maintained the aging building is becoming too costly to maintain, something Infrastructure Ontario released new details about Wednesday. An audit found keeping the science centre where it is would cost $1.3 billion, while moving it would cost some $1.05 billion. 

"The [Ontario Science Centre] at Don Mills is not sustainable under status quo conditions and is in operational crisis," reads the business case.

It says the centre is housed in a failing structure with mounting building maintenance costs, and has experienced a long-term trend of declining attendance, declining revenues and stagnant operating subsidies.

"These compounding realities challenge the ongoing viability of the [Ontario Science Centre] at its current site," the business case says. 

The cost comparison is based on the total project costs related to design, construction, exhibit modernization, operations and maintenance for a 50-year period, according to provincial documents shared with reporters Wednesday. The business case was developed by Infrastructure Ontario alongside external advisers, including the consultancy firm Ernst & Young, which handled the fiscal and economic impact. 

It says the savings estimate is considered conservative and could be greater in reality. 

The new location at Ontario Place — with a planned opening in 2028 — is set to be half the size of the current science centre, though the government says there will be more exhibition space despite a smaller overall footprint. The business case says 888 construction jobs would be created by the relocation, while 356 jobs would be needed for annual operations, which is 53 fewer than the current site.

The business case also says a smaller building would result in savings of $8.2 million a year compared to having the science centre stay put. 

Moving the building to Ontario Place would also facilitate a "re-imagination and re-branding" of the science centre that would modernize its operations, allowing it to compete against other contemporary attractions, according to the business case. 

In April, Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma cited a "business case analysis" as justification for moving the centre. The government refused requests from The Canadian Press and other media outlets in April to publicly release the business case and has given itself three time extensions to fulfill a request for it under freedom-of-information legislation, with the last deadline of Sept. 20 coming and going unacknowledged.

The science centre's move to Ontario Place, along with the redevelopment of the waterfront site and construction of a private spa, has been a source of debate since it was announced. 

In July, Toronto Coun. Josh Matlow brought a motion to council asking the city to explore the feasibility of keeping the centre in its current location to serve the Thorncliffe Park and Flemington Park neighbourhoods. That motion passed 21-3.